{"id":518318,"date":"2026-01-15T16:33:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/518318\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T16:33:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:33:12","slug":"college-football-coaches-break-down-indiana-miami-all-predict-the-hoosiers-winning-first-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/518318\/","title":{"rendered":"College football coaches break down Indiana-Miami. All predict the Hoosiers winning first title"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you want to share your predictions, analysis or thoughts on Monday\u2019s National Championship Game between Indiana and Miami? Get involved with our coverage at\u00a0<strong>live@theathletic.com.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Last season as Cal\u2019s quarterback, Fernando Mendoza almost led his team to an upset of then-No. 18 Miami. But the Bears couldn\u2019t hold a 25-point second-half lead and lost, 39-38. Mendoza completed 50 percent of his passes, going 11-of-22 for 285 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday night, Mendoza returns home and gets another shot at the Canes, the program he grew up rooting for, in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. This time, the Miami native is the headliner. He\u2019s led No. 1 Indiana to a storybook season that includes him <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6885230\/2025\/12\/14\/fernando-mendoza-heisman-college-football-playoff\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">winning the Heisman Trophy<\/a>, winning the Big Ten title and steamrolling Alabama and Oregon by a combined score of 94-25 in the Hoosiers\u2019 first two Playoff games. Mendoza\u2019s numbers in those games are stunning: eight touchdown passes and five incompletions.<\/p>\n<p>The Hoosiers are an 8.5-point favorite over the Canes. This week, The Athletic spoke to a dozen coaches, granted anonymity for their candor, who have faced Miami and Indiana to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6959749\/2026\/01\/12\/indiana-miami-cfp-national-championship-game-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">break down the matchup<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>All of them said they expect the Hoosiers to win their first national title.<\/p>\n<p>Indiana\u2019s X-factor: Quarterback<\/p>\n<p>Mendoza has five games this season with more touchdowns than incompletions. No other college quarterback in the past 25 years has done it more than twice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMendoza\u2019s the best I\u2019ve faced in the last couple of years,\u201d said a Power 4 defensive coordinator. The coach said, like most quarterbacks, Mendoza can be affected by pressure, but what makes him special is that the opposition can\u2019t rattle him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn a given play, you can affect him with pressure and he will make mistakes,\u201d the DC said. \u201cThe teams that have caused him problems are when they\u2019ve pressured him. Typically, they played man and he overthrew the ball or got antsy in the pocket and took a sack. But it doesn\u2019t matter what you did in the play before; he\u2019s just gonna go right back to work. There\u2019s no sense that you can rattle him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s one of the few who actually reads through coverage and works his progressions. He knows how to answer. He knows how to buy time. He\u2019s just dynamic enough to run for a first down when he needs to. It\u2019s just enough to be really frustrating.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At Oregon earlier in the season, Mendoza bounced back from throwing a fourth-quarter pick six to lead Indiana on a 12-play, 75-yard TD drive to propel the Hoosiers to their biggest win at that point of the Curt Cignetti era. At Penn State, Mendoza threw another fourth-quarter interception, which the Nittany Lions soon turned into a touchdown drive to take a four-point lead. Mendoza proceeded to lead a 10-play, 80-yard TD drive in the final two minutes for another big road win.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seems like he\u2019s made of the right stuff and competitive,\u201d said a Big Ten linebackers coach who played IU this year. \u201cWhat impressed me the most about Mendoza is that one of our D-linemen got a hell of a shot on him and knocked the wind out of him. But he came right back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The linebackers coach said the notion that Mendoza can be affected but not rattled is \u201ca good way to put it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you watch the full season of Indiana, you can pressure at times, or you can get to him a series, but he\u2019s gonna fight and swing the whole game \u2014 like Penn State.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-6950922 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/USATSI_27476484-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>\n      Charlie Becker (80) has exploded for the Hoosiers after stepping in following an injury to wideout Elijah Sarratt. (Tommy Gilligan \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n<p>Indiana has players who fit the scheme<\/p>\n<p>The Hoosiers are No. 1 in third-down offense at 58.2 percent, up more than 10 percentage points from last year when they ranked No. 13.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey run a lot of RPOs, and they\u2019re like the masters of the back-shoulder fades,\u201d said a second Big Ten linebackers coach. \u201cThat seems to be their go-to in critical situations. Mendoza reads it well, and it\u2019s really hard to defend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another Power 4 defensive coordinator agreed that IU loves RPOs but added that the Hoosiers are \u201ca great screen team. It\u2019s really hard to get them off schedule. It\u2019s a highly efficient team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Their backs, Roman Hemby (1,060 rushing yards, seven TDs) and Kaelon Black (961 and 10 TDs), are very similar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re gonna try to run through your face for five, six, seven yards,\u201d said the second linebackers coach. IU\u2019s receivers might be the most underrated aspect of the team, said one of the defensive coaches.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey don\u2019t try to do too much formationally, but they have a good package,\u201d said a Big Ten coach who played IU this season. \u201cI think their H-back\/Y-guy (Riley Nowakowski) is kind of undervalued and doesn\u2019t get enough recognition. That guy is a good part of their offense, blocking, catching. They put him in motion, and in the run game, he really shows up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are definitely playing a lot better than earlier in the year,\u201d said the first DC. \u201cAthletically, (Charlie) Becker is a problem. He\u2019s their best receiver.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A 6-4, 204-pound sophomore, Becker had only four catches in IU\u2019s first seven games but has emerged as the big-play man since November after injuries to Elijah Sarratt gave him a bigger opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Becker kid came out of nowhere,\u201d said one of the linebackers coaches. \u201cWe thought he was a tall strider, but he\u2019ll make some really good contested catches. You can tell he was a track kid. He can roll.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t sleep on Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. Cooper, their leading receiver, is a former basketball star who made the spectacular game-winning catch against Penn State.<\/p>\n<p>Who has the offensive line edge?<\/p>\n<p>The offensive line is Indiana\u2019s most improved unit from last year. The Hoosiers are averaging 5.33 yards per carry \u2014 almost a yard more than last season \u2014 and have given up slightly fewer sacks per game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir O-line is as cohesive a group as I\u2019ve seen in the last two years because in this portal world now, that is hard to get,\u201d said the DC. \u201cThey\u2019re incredibly detailed. They don\u2019t do too much. They\u2019re very good at passing off movement. They take any level of undisciplined football and can hurt you with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One of the defensive coaches said they thought right guard Bray Lynch was the closest thing they saw to a weak link: \u201cGoing into our game, he was the guy we were targeting for our pass rush.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The DC said he thought Lynch was OK, and that right tackle Kahlil Benson was a weak spot, but said the 6-6, 305-pound senior got better as the season went on: \u201cThey put 11 bodies out there and there isn\u2019t any glaring weakness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Coaches who have faced the Canes and the Hoosiers said Miami\u2019s O-line is better. It\u2019s also much bigger. The top-rated NFL O-line prospect in the game is Miami right tackle Francis Mauigoa, a 6-6, 335-pound former five-star recruit projected by The Athletic\u2019s NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler as a top-20 pick, whom several coaches told The Athletic is as good as advertised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re probably the best offensive line we\u2019ve faced,\u201d said a Power 4 defensive coach. \u201cThey\u2019re massive up front, and what they do schematically with those tight splits, it\u2019s hard to get any penetration unless you\u2019re bringing edge pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Left tackle Markel Bell, at 6-9 and 348 pounds with 36 1\/2-inch arms, is one of the biggest men in college football.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe is so huge but doesn\u2019t move well,\u201d said another linebackers coach who played Miami. \u201cWe thought we could take advantage of him. But he is this big behemoth who gets his hands on you, and you\u2019re just stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several coaches identified center James Brockermeyer as someone Indiana could try to exploit. \u201cWe just didn\u2019t think he was strong,\u201d said one coach. \u201cIf you\u2019d get your hands into his chest, you\u2019d push him back four and five yards. We thought he was the weak link of their unit. We were trying to attack him all day. We probably should\u2019ve pressured them more up the middle than we did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Miami\u2019s physical run game<\/p>\n<p>The Canes rank only No. 72 in rushing at 155 yards per game, but they\u2019ve averaged 173 per game at 4.5 yards per carry in three Playoff games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey want to ground you out,\u201d said the second linebackers coach. \u201cThat\u2019s (head coach Mario) Cristobal. He wants to just run the rock and pound you into submission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mark Fletcher, a 6-2, 230-pound junior who was banged up and missed a few games in November, has been a breakout star in the Playoff. He ran all over Texas A&amp;M for 172 yards and over 10 yards a carry. He put up 90 yards on Ohio State and 133 on Ole Miss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe fits exactly what they need to do and Cristobal\u2019s whole mass-kicks-ass mantra,\u201d said the first linebackers coach.<\/p>\n<p>Another rival coach compared Fletcher to Derrick Henry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s tall and strong. He\u2019ll take some whacks, and it doesn\u2019t seem to faze him. He\u2019s not going down and then all the other O-linemen are coming in pushing the pile forward for another 10 yards.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI saw that kid in high school,\u201d said a DB coach. \u201cI saw him play live and said this dude is an animal. I told our staff, we\u2019ve got to do a good job of tackling him and wrapping up.\u00a0 And he got us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-6933263 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2254206102.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>\n      Fletcher missed time late in the season but has exploded during the postseason. (Sam Hodde \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Miami\u2019s \u2018O-line mindset\u2019 all over the field<\/p>\n<p>Rival coaches say it\u2019s obvious that Cristobal is an old O-line guy at heart. When Cristobal came home to Miami four years ago, his mission was to build the biggest bully in college football. One of the coaches said that mentality might be best epitomized by Miami\u2019s smallest player on offense, freshman wideout Malachi Toney, a 5-10, 188-pounder who throws his body all over the field as a blocker in the run game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the size of the O-line, the size of Fletcher getting behind the O-line, but it\u2019s also the way their receivers sell out and crack support,\u201d said the first linebackers coach. \u201cWatch them against Texas A&amp;M, and most O-line coaches like Cristobal understand this: You bring in the receiver and you crack the extra run defender, the safety and then you\u2019re making corners if it bounces outside. And then when you start to guess outside, Fletcher hits it inside.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen they motion into the C-gap area and they crack on a safety, you can see run after run, that\u2019s the difference. They\u2019re getting really good push inside and making the DBs tackle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What about Miami\u2019s receivers?<\/p>\n<p>Toney, a three-star recruit who graduated high school a year early to join Miami, was the best-kept secret in Coral Gables before the season started. Miami coaches had a hard time not getting too giddy over the local kid nicknamed \u201cBaby Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Toney was dazzling in Miami\u2019s prime-time debut against Notre Dame, cutting up the Irish defense in the Canes\u2019 upset win. He\u2019s gone on to catch 99 passes for 1,089 yards and nine TDs. He has run for 113 yards and is 4-of-7 as a passer with two more touchdowns. He\u2019s also averaging over 14 yards per punt return.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToney is really special,\u201d said a DB coach who faced Miami in the Playoff. \u201cHe has really good balance and body control, and his lower body is much stronger than that of a typical freshman. They\u2019re gonna find ways to get him the ball. He\u2019s playing like a senior in how he understands reads and situational football.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd it\u2019s not like he\u2019s just playing one position. He is playing all of the friggin\u2019 field. You just don\u2019t find that in a freshman. \u2026 They do so much with him that you wouldn\u2019t think he\u2019d be able to compartmentalize all of that and do every single thing that they\u2019re asking him to do. He\u2019s unbelievable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Miami\u2019s other two receivers, Keelan Marion and CJ Daniels, were described as \u201cOK.\u201d Daniels (seven touchdowns) is a savvy veteran, while Marion, who went for 114 yards on seven catches and a TD against Ole Miss, is more dynamic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ll throw some tunnel screens and bubbles to get the ball out in space to Toney and let him work,\u201d said a linebackers coach. \u201cWe were way too soft in coverage in that game. We should\u2019ve played more man and pressed Daniels and Marion earlier because those guys are just all right. You do have to have a whole gameplan for Toney because he is elite. He can throw it, make you miss, break tackles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Miami\u2019s wild card: Carson Beck<\/p>\n<p>The former Georgia QB has completed more than 73 percent of his passes for 3,581 yards with 29 touchdowns and 11 picks and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6957270\/2026\/01\/09\/carson-beck-miami-touchdown-ole-miss-cfp-fiesta-bowl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has shined in the Playoff<\/a>. He hit on less than 65 percent of his passes last year for the Bulldogs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think (Miami offensive coordinator Shannon) Dawson has done a good job of keeping it simple for Beck,\u201d said one of the Ole Miss coaches. \u201cHe\u2019s got a lot of easy reads. You\u2019re either going here or you\u2019re going there. If not, pull it down and run it or throw it away. He knows their defense is good, so they\u2019ll be in games if they don\u2019t turn the ball over. If you look at the games they\u2019ve lost, they lost the turnover battle and weren\u2019t able to score in the red zone.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeck is more confident than when we played him last year when he was at Georgia. I think that has a lot to do with his offensive line. His O-line at Georgia was just OK. We had like seven sacks. This year, we only got two. He\u2019s making the right reads and checks to get in and out of things to keep them out of harm\u2019s way. He checked to a screen on third down and got a big first down in the third quarter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another defensive coach said Beck is accurate and more athletic than he\u2019s given credit for, but added, \u201cI trust Mendoza a little more than Beck when it comes down to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Said an analyst whose team faced Miami earlier in the season: \u201cBeck wasn\u2019t great vs. A&amp;M and Ohio State, but he never hurt the Canes. And he made some legit great plays vs. Ole Miss. The real question is, can he go four consecutive games without self-destructing?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Indiana\u2019s defense: Look out<\/p>\n<p>Beck and Miami are in for their toughest test of the season. Indiana is No. 2 in the country in run defense and has 45 sacks \u2014 tied for second most in the country \u2013 and leads the nation in red zone touchdown percentage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter playing them, and just watching them play Oregon, they don\u2019t have one player on defense that scares you, but they\u2019re just better than you,\u201d said one skill position coach who faced IU.<\/p>\n<p>In two Playoff games, the Hoosiers had 16 TFLs, six sacks and forced four turnovers. Even more impressive is that they did all that without top edge rusher Stephen Daley, who had 19 TFLs but was injured after the Big Ten title game celebrating IU\u2019s win over Ohio State.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey do a tremendous job of destroying blocks,\u201d said a longtime Big Ten O-line coach. \u201cThey engage blocks and get off them really well if they\u2019re playing straight. What they also do a really good job of is they have some pattern games with their front. They cause a lot of confusion. \u2026 If you spend too much time trying to get to the linebacker, that (DT Mario) Landino guy, who does a tremendous job, will come free off combinations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The confusion that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6927575\/2025\/12\/30\/ndiana-hoosiers-defense-curt-cignetti-coaches-react\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">defensive coordinator Bryant Haines<\/a> causes is reflected in the fact that Indiana has 10 players with at least six TFLs this season. (Miami has only five.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201c(Haines) is not a big pressure guy,\u201d said a coach who played IU later in the season. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t send six or more a whole lot. It\u2019s mainly five-man pressure. What they do the best job of is playing your schemes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir patterns are good, man. They junk it up. I think they do the best job I\u2019ve ever seen of every run scheme they have a different game for. A bunch of people do it, but they\u2019ll call a particular stunt, and if you don\u2019t run that run against it, you can kinda f\u2014 \u2018em up. But (Indiana) never gets caught in it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe actually felt pretty good going into the game about us moving the ball, and our stats weren\u2019t bad, but we just didn\u2019t score a lot of points,\u201d said one Big Ten coach who faced IU this season. \u201cThey bend but don\u2019t break, and they really tighten up in the red zone. You can move the ball on them, but you gotta finish in the red zone. You can\u2019t kick field goals or miss opportunities because they\u2019re gonna score.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Indiana\u2019s defense almost never gets it wrong, rival coaches say, which is a big reason why they\u2019ve been so good. Haines\u2019 run defenses have been in the top five in the country the past four seasons, ranking No. 2 this year; No. 1 last year; No. 5 in 2023 at JMU and No. 2 in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m convinced that they don\u2019t call the (line) games,\u201d said the rival coach. \u201cThey don\u2019t ever get caught in it. If you\u2019re running all these inside zone games, and the team that you\u2019re playing runs outside zone, you\u2019re gonna get f\u2014-d because those twists and stuff are meant for certain things, but then you get caught running around it, or if they run a gap-scheme play and you\u2019re screwed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Indiana has given up three runs of 70-plus yards this season, which actually is tied for most allowed in college football. Two of those runs did come in the first game of the season when Old Dominion ran for 218 yards on 9.5 yards a carry in a 27-14 loss. QB Colton Joseph ran for 179 yards on 10 carries with touchdown runs of 75 and 78 yards. No other opponent was even close to four yards a carry against the Hoosiers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir system is very good, and they have older, smart kids that watch a lot of film \u2014 you can tell,\u201d said one rival OC. \u201cThey\u2019re good at knowing your tendencies and splits. If you line up and do something that you\u2019ve done a lot, then they\u2019re gonna have a bead on and they\u2019ll pick that friggin\u2019 ball off.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Hoosiers\u2019 linebackers are solid. Rolijah Hardy and Aidan Fisher have combined for almost 200 tackles, and Isaiah Jones has 15.5 TFLs. Corner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6964683\/2026\/01\/13\/dangelo-ponds-indiana-playoff-terroizing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">D\u2019Angelo Ponds<\/a> is undersized at 5-9, 173 pounds but is ultra competitive and quick. He\u2019s their big-play man on the back end.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey play together and keep everything in front of them,\u201d said an opposing coach. \u201cThey don\u2019t play a lot of man and they do a really good job in the red zone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Indiana can slow Miami\u2019s run game, but it won\u2019t stop it,\u201d predicted an analyst whose team faced the Hurricanes. \u201cMiami will hit a huge run somewhere in there, and IU will really struggle to handle Toney, but Indiana is better suited to take advantage of Carson Beck\u2019s limitations as a decision maker.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-6935025 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2253638946-1024x578.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>\n      Miami was terrific against Ohio State in the second round of the postseason, then eked out a win against Ole Miss in the semifinals. (Al Diaz \/ Miami Herald \/ Tribune News Service via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>Miami\u2019s biggest strength: Defensive line<\/p>\n<p>Miami\u2019s biggest strength has been its D-line. The Canes lead the nation in sacks with 47. Rueben Bain Jr. is the tone-setter. He\u2019s a 6-2, 277-pound powerhouse who can play inside and out.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe causes all sorts of havoc,\u201d said one head coach who faced Miami, calling Bain the best defensive player he saw all season. \u201cHe\u2019s such a violent player with heavy hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bain, who leads the nation with 53 QB hurries this season according to PFF, and bookend defensive end Akheem Mesidor were a nightmare for the A&amp;M offense in the first round of the Playoff, combining for 19 pressures. Bain had 5.5 TFLs and four sacks in the first two Playoff games but didn\u2019t record a TFL against Ole Miss. But that didn\u2019t mean he didn\u2019t cause the Rebels a lot of issues. At times, he lined up inside and got triple-teamed and still was disruptive, generating five pressures. PFF gave him the highest grade (81.8) of any defensive player in the two semifinal games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re extremely good on defense,\u201d said one of the Ole Miss offensive coaches. \u201cThey\u2019re salty, man. They\u2019re fast and physical. They\u2019re as good up front as any SEC defensive front I\u2019ve faced in years. Bain is something special.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Miami\u2019s defense gave Ohio State\u2019s star QB Julian Sayin more trouble than anyone else did this year. Both Miami and Indiana each sacked Sayin five times. Miami also picked him off twice and had a pick six. Against the Hoosiers, Sayin completed 72 percent of his passes. Against Miami, he completed under 63 percent.<\/p>\n<p>The Hurricanes\u2019 back seven is good, but not quite at the level of their D-line. Mohamed Toure is their leading tackler with 73 and part of a solid, experienced linebacking group. Miami\u2019s DBs, led by nickel Keionte Scott (13 TFLs, two pick sixes), are a strong group.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cScott\u2019s a difference-maker for them,\u201d said an ACC OC. \u201cHe really sees the game and triggers so fast. They missed him when he was out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Miami will be without cornerback Xavier Lucas for the first half of the title game, stemming from a targeting penalty against Ole Miss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think that Indiana is better at wideout than Miami is at corner, even when Miami is healthy,\u201d said an ACC analyst, who predicts the Hoosiers\u2019 efficient RPO game on first and second downs will mitigate the line of scrimmage problems the Canes D-line causes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMiami is pretty vanilla. It\u2019s part of what makes them so good \u2014 they have a super small menu and their kids know what to do and do it very, very violently. When (DC) Corey Hetherman was at Minnesota, he just blitzed the first guy out of the box away from the running back constantly. It\u2019s a very good way to stop a lot of shotgun running game. He\u2019s not as predictable now, but they do the best they can to tee off on the run game on first down, and try to create long-distance third downs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Hetherman loves to use Scott and DB Jakobe Thomas as run blitzers, \u201cand they\u2019re very good at it,\u201d said the analyst, but he adds that Indiana is also really effective at getting defenses into smaller sets of calls they can take advantage of. None of the coaching intel seems to bode well for Miami.<\/p>\n<p>Everyone picked Indiana to win. Does Miami have a shot?<\/p>\n<p>Can Miami derail Mendoza and the Hoosiers? It\u2019s a tough ask. The Hurricanes have to run the ball against Haines\u2019 defense, something almost no team has been able to do in a long time, and no one has been able to rattle the Heisman Trophy winner all season. One other key point from a coach who faced IU: Can Miami be patient? It\u2019s something other Hoosier opponents haven\u2019t been able to do.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you get impatient, bad stuff is going to happen. They make you put the ball in play, and they tackle you and you have to play the next play. People who get impatient get beat like Oregon just did.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Do you want to share your predictions, analysis or thoughts on Monday\u2019s National Championship Game between Indiana and&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":518319,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[1428,1318,9443,1426,1317,1315,1316,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-518318","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-college-football","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-indiana-hoosiers","11":"tag-miami-hurricanes","12":"tag-ncaa","13":"tag-ncaa-football","14":"tag-ncaafootball","15":"tag-sports","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115900082446855849","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=518318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518318\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/518319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=518318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=518318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=518318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}